The world is transforming into a global economy. Presently, the building and construction sector isaccelerating in a very rapid pace. The adverse impacts of increased building activity are remarkablein our land, in the air we breathe, on human health, our heritage and overall quality of life.Globally, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that the built environmentis responsible for 25-40% of energy use; 30-40% of the solid waste generation, and 30-40% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide.In the Philippines, there is an alarming increase in the environmental impact the built environmentcreates. The solid waste problem is mounting in the metropolis; an energy crisis is expected in thenext few years, and our water resources are fast depleted.There is an estimated 19,700 tons of solid waste generated everyday

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. The Department of Energytargets to increase the Philippines’ current oil and gas reserves from the year 2004 level of 69.5million metric tons of oil equivalent (MMTOE) to 83.6 MMTOE by 2014 due to increased energydemand. Water borne diseases account to about 30% of all reported diseases from 1996-2000,largely due to improper wastewater management and with only 6 out of 115 Philippine cities havingsewerage systems. These figures reflect the current stress in the Philippine environment that needsto be directly addressed.These negative occurrences are largely due to the tremendous growth presently experienced by theeconomy and the rapidly increasing construction activity due to increased population in the citycenters. The property sector’s expansion is fuelled by the demand for new and premium office spacerequired by the business outsourcing industry and by the increased dollar remittances of OverseasFilipino Workers (OFW) that stimulated the accelerated development of more residentialcondominiums.

2. GREEN BUILDING

Green Building is the practice of designing, constructing, operating, or reusing buildings in anecological and resource efficient manner. It focuses on the promotion and practice of sustainable

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The 2004 National Solid Waste Management Framework prepared by the National Solid Waste Management Commission estimates thatabout 19,700 tons per day of garbage was generated in 2000 or about 7.2 million tons per year. This is expected to increase to more than10 million tons per year by the year 2010.

site development, improvement of indoor air quality, use of efficient energy, and improvement of water management, utilization of green materials and the preservation of cultural heritage.When buildings use less energy it reduces the demand for government to build more power plants.Improved quality of effluents from buildings helps the government maintain cleaner waterresources. Improved resource management practices enables businesses to reduce waste generatedat job sites, thus, requiring less landfills.The reduction of the negative impacts associated with building construction promotes thepreservation of the natural ecology. It is a major contribution of the business industry in theprotection of the environment.Sustainable building improves the productivity of businesses. Healthier workspaces promote buildingoccupants’ comfort and health and boosts employees’ morale. As the business industry increasesthe uptake of sustainable building strategies, they are realizing that first costs are now verycompetitive. Accessibility to greener building materials, technology and information are acceleratingthe acceptance of sustainable building. With a mature market ready to embrace sustainablebuilding, businesses will be reaping the marketing benefits that are provided by sustainable building.This enables businesses to maintain competitiveness and improve their bottom-line.

3. GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTED AROUND THE WORLD

Presently, there is an increased uptake in green building practices around the world. Severalcountries have established rating systems that are used as a benchmark in evaluating the level of sustainability of buildings. They provide identifying marks, plaques and/or certificates that easilyinform the public that the claims of a building developer are verified by a third party organizationand that the building has passed the rating system. These rating systems continue to evolve toaddress technological advancement and best practice in green building.

Rating System Organization Country

Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED)US Green Building Council (USGBC) United States of AmericaBuilding Research EstablishmentEnvironmental Assessment Method(BREEAM)

Credits are given to every area/part of the building that shows good environmental performance.These systems are a good way of validating the developer’s claims of the good environmentalperformance of their products. Certified assessors/auditors inspect, evaluate and benchmark thebuilding against a green building rating system to assess the building’s level of sustainability.Property brokers are using the results of these rating systems to promote the environmentalfriendliness of the building, especially if the building achieves an excellent rating. Architects andengineers are using it as a guide in improving the performance of their designs. Property managers

are using it to measure the performance of the buildings, develop action plans, and to monitor andreport performance.

4. NEED FOR MEASURING ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE

In the Philippines, as the market matures into “greener consumers”, architects, engineers, realestate developers, and material suppliers are using “green” credentials to attract the public intobuying their products and services. At the moment, these activities continue to confuse the publicbecause a rating system that will enable buyers to verify these claims does not exist.A green building rating system encourages stakeholders to consider the use of concepts, greenbuilding materials and technology at the earliest possible opportunity to increase the chances of getting higher ratings. The Philippines need to have a nationally recognized and industry acceptedrating system in order to measure the environmental impact and performance of buildings.

5. THE PHILGBC AND ITS VISION

The Philippine Green Building Council is a national not-for-profit organization that promotes thesharing of knowledge on green practices to the property industry to ensure a sustainableenvironment. The Council is an alliance of building and construction industry leaders from both thepublic and private sectors that shall be the non-partisan venue to

develop a nationally accepted and recognized green building rating standard.

Relevant issues that may affect how a building’s sustainable credentials are to be measured shall bediscussed in this program. The Council shall act as a referee in determining the correctness of theclaims of project proponents by developing the national green building rating system. It shall be anindependent monitoring and verification system that shall serve as a third party certification. Thiswill level the playing field among the building industry players since all claims will be benchmarkedagainst a single rating system. Businesses will use this mark as a recognizable branding tool that willenable buyers to easily identify buildings that are performing environmentally well. The programshall be officially referred to as

shall be administered and implemented by a multisectoral body to ensure asocially and technically balanced green building rating system. The body shall be appointed by theboard of the PHILGBC from its members. The PHILGBC may also involve non-member organizations,associations and companies that are essential in the development of the rating system.

6.1.

BERDE BOARD

(Program Steering Committee) - A Program Steering Committee shall becreated, with its members to be appointed by the

PHILGBC Board of Trustees (PHILGBCBOT)

. The Steering Committee shall be referred to as the

BERDE Board.

The following PHILGBC members, alliance partners and government offices and agenciesshall be invited by the

PHILGBC BOT

to be part of the

BERDE Board.

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One (1) representative from the Building Professionals’ Network,

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One (1) representative from the Developers’ Network,

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One (1) representative from the Property and Facility Managers’ Network,